"How do we get back?"
That is the question of the hour. How, after last week's pitiful and painful collapse of our financial system, can we set the clock back and either right the wrongs, or simply rise above them?
Perhaps, for the first time in our nation's history, there is no answer. Perhaps there is no getting back to where we were. Perhaps, like our international standing, our vaunted military prowess and our enviable protection of civil rights, our unrivaled economic success is over. The wheels have fallen off, we've run out of track -- however you want to say it, maybe, just maybe, America's greatest moments are behind us, and the rest is an increasingly steady slope downhill.
Of course the idea that America has peaked is by no means an original one, but according to a new poll by Kelton Research, six in ten (60%) Americans agree that the United States will never regain the economic prosperity it once experienced (full disclosure: I am currently employed by the research firm). Surprisingly, that number rises to 65% when only polling women, compared to 56% of men. The poll, taken during the Dow's dismal days early last week, comes at a particularly key point in time, as the Sarah Palin story has been pushed off the front pages of newspapers around the country, and the economy has returned as the major campaign issue of the moment.
As many observers pointed out last week, the change of topic seems to be benefiting the Obama campaign. When asked which of the two presidential candidates would best be able to help the American economy recover from the current crisis, 42% of respondents put their faith in Obama, compared to just 30% who said McCain would be best. The Democratic Party also scored highly, as half (50%) of Americans say that the Dems better understand the issues that affect their daily lives, while only 31% believe that the Republican Party is the more empathetic of the two parties.
Aside from the economy, McCain may have other troubles. After a flurry of media reports in the past week criticizing the content of some of McCain's campaign commercials, it seems that Americans are beginning to openly question the veracity of the attack ads against Obama. Nearly six in ten (59%) Americans agree that many of the recent commercials produced on behalf of the McCain campaign have contained lies about Obama's record. Furthermore, almost a quarter (24%) of men strongly agree with this statement, and 19% of women feel the same.
While much of this information would seemingly help Obama pull away in the national polls, it doesn't take a seasoned political watcher to know that today's hot story can quickly become yesterday's news. McCain's reported toying with the truth has already largely been forgotten, trapped below a flurry of economic stories and worries, and with the Treasury bailout plan expected to go through this week, and the population's short attention-span, there's no guarantee that the economy will still be the issue du jour come November, either. And let's not forget, "surprise" season begins October 1st.
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Had Robert Kennedy not been killed, nobody would be talking about the U.S. being in decline -- we would be as strong and as respected as ever. But instead we got Nixon, Reagan and the Bushes and they did their best to ensure that America had no future.
You're results skew democrat which proves "that bad news for America is good news for democrats."
America will continue to be "that shining city on the hill." Especially if we become energy independant by using our own resources and not waiting for rubber-band powered cars, stop the polical correctness and call it like it is: Politcal hacks doling out money with no oversight at tax payers expense: stupid. Loaning money to people to make it look like we are helpng the less-fortunate when you know damn well that low rates swing up on an adjustable mortgage is :stupid. Spending like a drunk sailor in port and buying a home you can't afford in the first place: stupid. To quote Dave Ramsey: "it's the same advice your grandmother gave you."
When we start teaching self-reliance again and stop waiting for Uncle Sam or Publisher's Clearing House to show up with a check we will see the greatness that history has shown
In the mean-time, you might wanna consider polling people who don't live under a bridge and aren't perpetually thinking the sky is falling.
The total architectural manpower the Chinese invested in the Olympics alone was probably more than the whole of what the US has engaged for public buildings in the last decade.
And this is not just a symptom of economic weakness. It is the result of a brain cancer that is eating away at the nations intellectual resources. At the onset of the 21st century we have decided that America is defined by farms and wooden churches. Europe has built theirs out of stone since the 13th century... but even God has been reduced in America to something that's not worth more than stick and frame construction. Yes, even an agnostic can notice that.
Opening the history book can do a lot to ease the pain. We are not alone in overestimating ourselves. It happens to really everyone.
We have never been richer. We just don't see the money because we throw it away which is what most people do when they have too much money. It is human nature.
As soon as people become more poor they will look at the items I mentioned above.